Hi...new here and hoping for information.

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Corils1

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Hi Everyone,
I am 31 years old and my fiancee, also 31, has had idiopathic grand mal seizures since he was 13. Right now he takes dilantin and depakote, 3 doses of each daily (I am not sure of the milligrams).
His neurologist is recommending he phase out the depakote and replace it with Keppra and keeping the dilantin. He is just about to the full dosage of the keppra and has not begun phasing out the depakote yet.
I know that medications work differently with each persons body chemistry and that he can have a lot of liver damage, etc., with continued use of depakote. My concern is that I dont know if this will work. I dont know what the chance is that it will be as effective as the depakote. Right now he has a seizure about every 7 months. It can be more if he is not sleeping properly or misses doses. I am not thinking keppra will make the seizures disappear, but my hope is that it will work as effectively as the depakote.

Has anyone else made this transition? And, if so, did you find it effective or were there more seizures either during or after the transition? Any information that is available would truly be appreciated.
 
Hi Corils1, welcome to CWE!

Your fiance is lucky to have you be proactive on his behalf. It's great that you are interested in gathering info on his behalf. I wish I could give you a firm answer one way or another about the transition to the Keppra. Unfortunately, everyone responds so differently to meds, what works for one person doesn't necessarily work for someone else. That said, if your neurologist is concerned about liver issues, then it's worth eliminating the Depakote. For many Keppra works perfectly well. It's can also cause mood changes and "Kepprage" in some, so be on the look-out for any personality changes in your fiance. If that does happen consider having him take a B-complex vitamin with B6 -- it can help with that particular side effect.

Can you ask the neurologist what the plan would be if the Keppra doesn't do the trick? There can also be problems with long-term use of Dilantin, so I would ask him about the possibility of eventually phasing out that as well.

Others CWE members will chime in about their experiences with Keppra, and you can also check search the archives using the "search" button at the top.

Best,
Nakamova
 
My cousin was on Depakote and then switched to Keppra. On the Depakote she was having one every 4-5 months once she started the Keppra she went a year without having one. But each person is different in the way their body handles meds.
My son was on Keppra and we are currently switching to Depakote as the Keppra did not work well enough to be able to look past the side effects. Good luck to him. I hope it all works out well!
 
Hi Corils1

welcome to CWE!

Keep in touch as to how your partner goes with the meds, despite the fact i haven't been with CWE long i have already been blessed by the sharing of knowledge from personal experience. And the support and encouragement is essential to navigating the maze that is Epilepsy.

Westy

:e:
 
Welcome, Corils1. I'm only new myself but i'm already learning a lot and enjoying the support shown here =) I hope you find a workable solution for your fiance :)
 
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